A storage system typically comprises one or more storage devices where information may be entered, and from which information may be obtained, as desired. The storage system typically includes a storage operating system that functionally organizes the system by, inter alia, invoking storage operations in support of a storage service implemented by the system. The storage system may be implemented in accordance with a variety of storage architectures including, but not limited to, a network-attached storage environment, a storage area network and a storage device directly attached to a user or host computer. Storage of information is preferably implemented as one or more storage “volumes” of physical disks, defining an overall logical arrangement of storage space.
A storage system typically stores information at a storage array, which may then be replicated and archived for disaster recovery or any other reason. The replication process is commonly referred to as a “backup” operation.
The storage system typically uses a non-variable compression size for compressing information stored at the storage devices. This approach is efficient when an entire data container is cloned. If the data container is partially cloned, then the non-variable compression group size may not be very efficient because one has to decompress all the data blocks within the portion of the data container that is cloned and use the non-variable compression group size to compress the portion of the data container. Continuous efforts are being to improve partial cloning with compression.